CSR’s primary role is to handle the receipt and review of all grant applications that NIH receives. NIH separates the review process from funding decisions.
For Reviewers
Reviewers are critical to our mission to see that NIH grant applications receive, fair, independent, expert, and timely scientific reviews. We appreciate the generosity with which reviewers give their time.
Study Sections
Applications are reviewed in study sections (Scientific Review Groups, SRGs). Review Branches (RBs) are clusters of study sections based on scientific discipline.
Review Meetings
Applications are reviewed in study sections (Scientific Review Groups, SRGs). Review Branches (RBs) are clusters of study sections based on scientific discipline.
Evaluation Initiatives
Access data visualizations, reports, and analytical tools to track progress.
Dr. Barbara Mallon received her D.Phil. in biochemistry at the University of York, UK, where she studied signal transduction in glial cells. She then went to the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where she completed her postdoctoral training in its department of…
Dr. Maria DeBernardi is an Assistant Director in the Division of Receipt and Referral (DRR) at the Center for Scientific Review (CSR).
Prior to this position, she served as Scientific Review Officer in the Interdisciplinary Molecular Sciences and Training review group for seven years. Her primary…
Dr. Brennan received her Ph.D. in microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics from the University of California, Los Angeles. She continued her research on mechanisms of oxidative stress and inflammation in cardiovascular disease as a postdoctoral fellow and junior faculty at Cleveland Clinic…
Dr. Tina Tang received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the NIH Graduate Partnerships Program jointly hosted by the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and the NIH Intramural Program. She conducted her graduate research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke studying…
Dr. Chee Lim serves as Chief of the Musculoskeletal, Skin, and Oral Sciences Review Branch (MSOS RB).
Dr. Chee Chew Lim received his Ph.D. in physiology and then did his postdoctoral training in age-associated diastolic dysfunction at Boston University School of Medicine. Before joining the NIH,…
After receiving his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois, where he worked in the area of solid state NMR of membrane proteins, Dr. Bowers worked on the development of fast chemical shift imaging techniques and non-invasive magnetic resonance-based assays for liver graft viability.He…
Dr. Seyhan Boyoglu-Barnum earned her Ph.D. from Alabama State University and completed postdoctoral training at Emory University, specializing in RSV vaccine development. Dr. Boyoglu-Barnum contributed to the MERS outbreak response at the CDC’s Division of Viral Diseases and joined the NIH Vaccine…
We asked retired study section chairs to tell us the advice they would give to new reviewers. The nuggets below come from many years of combined experience as reviewers and chairs.Getting StartedDon’t be overwhelmed by the number of applications. Just start reading as soon as you get your…
Dr. Jacinta Bronte-Tinkew serves as Chief of the Clinical Care and Health Interventions Review Branch (CCHI RB).Dr. Bronte-Tinkew earned her Ph.D. in demography from the Pennsylvania State University--University Park, and completed post-graduate studies at the Netherlands Interdisciplinary…
Dr. Sharon Gubanich has served as an Assistant Director within the Division of Receipt and Referral (DRR) for 5 years. Prior to that, she was a referral officer for 5 years and a scientific review officer (SRO) for 20 years. Dr. Gubanich has extensive experience working on referral issues with NIH…
Dr. Jacobson currently serves as the Acting Deputy Director of CSR and the Acting Deputy Director of the NIH Office of Extramural Research. Additionally, he has been the Director of the CSR Division of Receipt and Referral since December 2024.Dr. Jacobson joined CSR in 2009 as a scientific review…
Dr. Syed Moin earned his Ph.D. in molecular virology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, conducting his thesis research on host-pathogen interactions involving hepatitis E virus at the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, India, and the US Centers for Disease Control…
CSR Advisory Council Update – Dr. Noni Byrnes, CSR DirectorSimplifying Review Criteria for Clinical Trials Working Group –Co-Chairs - Dr. Bruce Reed, CSR Deputy Director and Dr. Tonya Palermo, University of Washington, CSR Advisory Council Member CSR Advisory Council Members - Dr. Alfred…
Dr. Karine Jegalian received her Ph.D. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she used molecular biology techniques to study the evolution of gene pairs on the mammalian X and Y chromosomes. She worked as a science writer for the National Human Genome Research Institute…
Dr. Elena Shiffert earned her Ph.D. in Human Genetics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, studying the effects of estrogen receptor alpha on cancer regression in mouse models. She trained as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Training Program in Breast Cancer Biology at Georgetown University,…
Dr. Tami Kingsbury received her Ph.D. in biology at Johns Hopkins University, studying yeast genetics and molecular biology. During her post-doctoral training at Johns Hopkins University, she studied calcium signaling in yeast and discovered a novel family of calcineurin regulators transferred from…